As many as one-third of Americans will be afflicted with diabetes by the year 2050, finds a report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, 1 out of every 10 Americans has diabetes.
According to a study abstract, the expected increase is largely due to people with diabetes living longer and an increase in minority populations that are at high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
Risk factors for developing diabetes include obesity, age, family history, a sedentary lifestyle, and race or ethnicity, CDC data shows.
The report noted that prevention efforts directed toward at-risk populations can help significantly reduce future increases in diabetes prevalence, but will not eliminate them.
Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2007, and the leading cause of kidney failure, non-accident leg and foot amputations among adults, and new cases of blindness among people older than 75.
